Exciting Times Ahead

It’s that time of the year again, when everyone gets inspired by the “fresh start” vibes that January brings. Whether it’s decluttering your home (thanks Marie Kondo!), starting a new exercise program, or beginning a new job; everywhere you look New Year’s resolutions are in action! Well, Miskonduct Klothing has not escaped these sentiments and, boy do we have some fresh start news for you!!

But first, let’s reflect…..

It’s been one and a half years since I took over here at Miskonduct Klothing and despite the relatively short time it has been epic! With major construction upheaval in the city of Newcastle just 6 months into the gig, Miskonduct’s future was suddenly very tenuous. After another 6 months of working my butt off to keep this amazing business alive I made the decision to move to a shopping centre – cue the Westfield campaign! We committed to 3 months in Westfield, Kotara and very quickly decided to extended this by another 3 months. The increase in foot traffic and exposure for the Miskonduct brand was fantastic. We reconnected with so many customers who hadn’t seen us since Tighes Hill days as well as met dozens of new people who had never heard of us.

After 6 months at Westfield in a temporary capacity I was approached to discuss a permanent lease in the centre. After much discussion, negotiations, and everything else that goes on when committing to a contract of this magnitude I finally decided Westfield just isn’t the right place for Miskonduct Klothing. Working 60 hours a week to commit to the centre trading hours did not give me a good work/life balance, and the very corporate nature of a lease with Westfield is just not how I see myself doing business.

At this point I do want to make it very clear that working with the Westfield crew has not been horrible. Quite the opposite! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Kotara team, every single one of whom has made me feel super welcome. Nothing is too much hassle for these guys and gals! The people I’ve got to know working at other stores have all been lovely, and (get ready for a small business truth bomb) the isolation that I have sometimes felt since becoming a small business owner has been far less since coming to Kotara. There is a real community feel here amongst the employees and I am really going to miss it!

…which has definitely influenced my decision on “where to now”.

Let me cast your mind back to that ‘fresh start’ comment I mentioned earlier. The decision to leave Westfield meant I also needed to decide if I was going back to Hunter St. The feedback from customers since our temporary move to Kotara has indicated that the Hunter St location is a bit of a hassle to get to. Personally, I’m not confident that Newcastle has recovered yet from the damage to visitation that the Light Rail Construction project has brought about. I’m also keenly aware of the rampant development going on in both the East and West End of Newcastle, which continues to disrupt the viability of small businesses. So, Miskonduct will not be moving back to our Hunter St home.

Tough decision out of the way, I am now super excited to announce that we have found our “forever home” (well, foreseeable future home) in the delightful suburb of New Lambton! From Monday 4^th of February you can get your Miskonduct fix at New Lambton Village Courtyard on Regent St, New Lambton. The long-time home of Chaddies on Regent café, the Blind Baker bakery, and gift and homewares boutique The Wandering Peacock, as well as boutique womenswear store Papango.

The proximity to food and coffee is a definite bonus, and not only because I am a big fan of both! One of the things that has consistently come up when chatting with customers about the good ol’ days at Tighes Hill was how much everyone loved the mix of café and fashion. Now, I just don’t have another business venture in me right now (yep, even my seemingly endless energy can run low!) so discovering an empty boutique right next door to a café and overlooking a courtyard dining area is a pretty spectacular compromise, I think!

Not only this, but upon inspecting the property and indicating to the real estate agent that I would like to proceed with a lease, the owner of Chaddies (Jo) immediately popped out to our table and welcomed us! We then visited Karina at The Wandering Peacock and Kim and Sharon at Papango to let them know Miskonduct was coming to town. These delightful women instantly welcomed us, told us they were available if we had any questions at all and reassured us that the Courtyard was a great little spot for boutique businesses. Such a lovely little community that I cannot wait to spend more time with.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, I’d be ever so grateful if you could spread the news. As with every other massive decision I’ve made relating to this business it’s happening in a matter of days!! Miskonduct has had a lot of changes over the past 6 months and I am really keen to settle into the one spot and focus on bringing to you all the things you love about Miskonduct Klothing.

Stay tuned for more updates. We have some new labels we’ll be bringing into the mix this year, some you’ll definitely know and others you’ll be glad you get to know. But that is for another blog! For now, the important dates to remember are:

Sunday 27^th January 2019 – Last day of trade at Westfield, Kotara

Monday 28^th January 2019 – Alice gets a sleep-in!

Monday 4^th February 2019 – Grand Opening at Regent St, New Lambton (Unless we’re ready sooner than that!)

Of course, website orders can still be placed and I will continue to process these as quick as possible. The pick up in store option will still be active on the website, but collection won’t be available until we open the doors at Regent St. Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions!

‘til next time,

Alice X